The transfer news is starting to heat-up at Rangers.
Following Russell Martin’s appointment, and with the start of Champions League qualifying little over five weeks away, Rangers need to act quickly in the transfer market, seeking to rebuild their squad at Ibrox.
So, with one centre-back seemingly on his way out of Ibrox, could the Gers’ land a vastly experienced defender?
Rangers' search for a new centre-back
Defence is clearly an area the Gers are looking to improve this summer with links to English centre-back Harry Darling emerging on a regular basis.
That being said, Darling isn’t the only defender on the club’s radar heading into the forthcoming weeks.
According to a report by the Leicester Mercury, Rangers have initiated talks to sign Conor Coady from Leicester City this summer, having lodged an enquiry in a bid to understand what it might take to sign the former England international.
Football Insider revealed on Sunday that, with the Foxes needing to offload players following their relegation to the EFL Championship, Coady could be one name on the chopping block, handing Martin and Co encouragement in their attempts to sign the defender.
The 32-year-old is vastly experienced, having made almost 200 Premier League appearances to date, joining Leicester from Wolverhampton Wanderers two years ago for a reported fee of around £7.5m.
Analyst John Walker labels Coady “highly intelligent”, praising his in-possession play, so could Martin convince him to move to Glasgow?
How Conor Coady could finally replace Goldson at Rangers
Back in the summer of 2018, following Steven Gerrard’s arrival in Govan, Rangers signed Connor Goldson from Brighton & Hove Albion for a reported fee of £3m, and what a bargain this would prove to be.
Despite requiring heart surgery during his time with the Seagulls, the Englishman would go on to make 309 appearances for the Light Blues, winning all three domestic trophies, a near ever-present fixture of the Gerrard-era, as well as being a key figure in the side that reached the Europa League Final in Seville three years ago.
Graham Falk of the Scotsman labels him a ‘stalwart’ of Rangers’ recent success, and many would argue that the club have not replaced him since he was allowed to leave for Aris Limassol last summer.
The need to replace him has only been made greater by news surrounding Robin Pröpper, who could be poised to depart Rangers this summer.
Indeed, reports suggest that FC Twente are ‘desperate’ to re-sign the centre-back for £1.5m, just a year after the Eredivisie outfit sold him to the Gers for around double that fee.
They go on to say that Pröpper ‘will hold talks’ with new manager Martin before making a concrete decision over his future, but few supporters would mourn his exit, given that Ewan Paton of the Rangers Review asserts that Scottish football is ‘too quick and physical for his capabilities’.
So let’s assess if Coady would be an upgrade.
Appearances
26
43
Minutes
2,002
3,210
Tackles
0.6
1.2
Interceptions
0.7
1.2
Clearances
3.8
4.9
Blocked shots
1.3
0.7
Ball recoveries
3.3
4.4
Aerial duel success %
37.14%
54.04%
Ground duel success %
53.33%
53.26%
Passing accuracy %
91.47%
85.81%
Touches
64.6
75.5
Average Sofascore Rating
6.60
6.69
The table suggests that Pröpper was more impressive than Coady this season, with the Dutchman boasting better statistics for most metrics included, but some context is required.
Rangers finished second in the Premiership while Leicester were relegated from the Premier League, thereby skewing the data, while it is worth considering that England’s top flight is, according to Global Football Rankings, the strongest division in the world, with Scotland’s first division ranked all the way down in 43rd place.
The most interesting statistic from the table above, however, is Coady’s excellent pass completion percentage – better than Propper – which would fit into Martin’s style of play perfectly.
Meanwhile, as outlined by Tim Spiers of the Athletic, the Englishman is known for his outstanding leadership qualities, describing him as an ‘intelligent ball-playing centre-back’.
Thus, still only 32 years old, Coady still has plenty to offer and, if Rangers are able to snap him up on the cheap, he would be an excellent addition, reminiscent of Goldson’s move to Glasgow all those years ago.
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